Resources:

DEFINITIONS OF TYPES OF FGC/FC :

Type I – Circumcision is the excision
(removal) of the prepuce (clitoral hood) with or without removal of
a part of the clitoris (a.k.a. sunna circumcision).

Type II – Excision or clitoridectomy is
the excision of the clitoris together with part or all of the labia
minora (the inner vaginal lips).

Type III – Infibulation is the excision
of part or all of the external genitalia (clitoris, labia minora and
labia majora) and stitching or narrowing of the vaginal opening, leaving
a very small opening, about the size of a matchstick, to allow for
the flow of urine and menstrual blood. The girl or woman’s
legs are generally bound together from the hip to the ankle so she
remains immobile for approximately 40 days to allow for the formation
of scar tissue (referred to as Sudanese circumcision in Egypt; referred
to as Pharaonic circumcision in Somalia).

Type IV – Unclassified includes the
pricking, piercing or incision of the clitoris and/or labia; also includes
symbolic rituals. The application or insertion of corrosive substances
into the vagina is also considered Type IV.

Defibulation or deinfibulation – Cutting
open the scar tissue that has formed around the vaginal opening to
allow penetration by her husband or for the birth of a child.

Refibulation or reinfibulation or recircumcision – The
sewing up of a circumcised woman’s vaginal opening after childbirth
or periodically during her life when she feels as though her opening
has gotten too big or loose.

Alternative rituals – An alternative to FGM
in which the traditional ceremony takes place without the actual cutting. In
Kenya, girls go through a week-long program designed as a coming-of-age
workshop. This ritual is called “Ntanira Na Mugambo” or “Circumcision
Through Words.”Introcision – A form of FGM/C that is practiced
by the Pitta-Patta aborigines of Australia where the vaginal orifice
is enlarged by tearing it downward with three fingers bound with
an opossum string. The procedure is performed by an elderly
man when the girl reaches puberty. In other districts, the
perineum is split with a stone knife. Compulsory sexual intercourse
with a number of young men usually follows the introcision. Mexico,
Brazil, and Peru reportedly practice this form of FGM/C. In
Peru, among a division of Pano Indians, an elderly woman uses a bamboo
knife to cut around the hymen from the vaginal entrance and severs
the hymen from the labia, at the same time exposing the clitoris. Medicinal
herbs are applied, followed by the insertion of a phallic clay object
into the vagina.